We decide to tie the prisoners. But we don’t tie al of them. The captain trusts three of the men.

We don’t tie these three men.

Now, we are ten men. We start to plan how to get the ship. After some discussion we know what to do.

Friday and I stay on the island. We have to watch the prisoners.

The captain, his assistant and the passenger take the clothes of some of the prisoners. They want to look like them. Then the captain and his sailors take the boat. They go to the ship.

When they are near the ship, they speak to the men on the ship. They tel them that it isn’t possible to find the other men.

When all of the men from the boat are on the ship, the captain shows his face and the attack begins.

Some sailors are injured in the battle. Only one person is kil ed. It’s the second leader of the rebellion.

When the captain has his ship again, we hear seven shots. It’s the signal that the ship is in captain’s hands again. I’m happy when I hear the shots.

Soon the captain goes back to the island. He tells me that the ship is now under my control.

I’m so happy. I start to cry. I cry so much that I can’t speak.

After 10 minutes, I’m able to speak again. I speak to the captain. I tel him how happy I am.

The captain tells his men to bring a lot of food from the ship.

We eat good food. We celebrate our victory and my departure from the island.

We drink expensive wine. We eat pork, beef and vegetable. We eat biscuits for dessert. I’m very happy when I eat this food again.

The captain gives me new clothes. I have new clothes after a long time. The clothes are very light. They are a little uncomfortable first. But it’s soon OK.

When the party is finished, we discuss what to do with the five prisoners who the captain doesn’t trust. The men are realy horrible. The captain doesn’t want to take them on board the ship as prisoners. It’s too dangerous.

I tel the captain to discuss it with the prisoners. Maybe they want to stay on the island. It’s better for them because their rebellion means death in England. We go to them and we explain the situation. They have to choose between a death in England and a life on the island. I think that it’s fair to let them decide. They decide to stay on the island.

We put them in the cave. The cave is now the prison. I tell them to wait for more orders.

CHAPTER 30 – SON

I need some time to prepare for the journey. I need to plan what to take with me.

But then I see that I don’t need to take many things.

I decide to take my dog, my parrot, my book and some other small things. I also take the money, gold and silver which are from the ships. They are finally useful to me.

I meet with the prisoners again. I show them my corn and my animals. And I tell them about the island. Then I go on board the ship.

We leave the island in December, 1686. It’s twenty-seven years after my first step on the island.

First, we go to the island where Friday’s people live. The Spanish and Portuguese sailors are very happy when they see us. They are happy that we have a ship. Now we don’t have to build a new ship. We can go to Europe.

My dog is very happy too. When he sees one of the Spanish sailors, he runs to him very quickly.

He jumsp on him. He is extremely happy.

The Spanish sailor is his owner. He is very happy too. He starts to cry when he sees his dog. It’s a very emotional meeting.

The sailors start to prepare for our journey across the ocean. Friday has to make a decision. He can stay with his people. Or he can go to Europe with me. He needs some time to think about it.

We stay on the island one night.

In the morning, I ask Friday if he knows what to do. He tells me that he wants to go with me to Europe. He prepares everything for the journey. We are ready to go. We start our journey.

Two months later, after a safe journey across the ocean, we arrive to London. For me it’s after thirty-five years.

It looks like the whole world is different after those years. Some parts of London are new.

There are some new houses, streets, roads, shops, parks and big bridge across the river. But it isn’t al. People are also different. They have different clothes. Women have different hair style.

Men have different hats and new types of guns.

People use new tools which I don’t know. They have new names for these tools. It’s al very interesting. The style of music in the pubs is also different. I hear new songs. I like this new style. I want to sing these new songs.

From London I return to my town, York. My parents are both dead. I find some relatives. My sister, my uncle and my aunt are still alive. They are happy when they see me. But they think that I’m long dead. So I have no rights to family’s money or land. But I can stay and live in their house.

England is a big shock to Friday. Everything is so new for him. It’s al very interesting for him.

He likes this new experience.

What he doesn’t like is the cold weather in winter. It’s February. Snow and ice aren’t good for him. It isn’t logical for him why we live in such conditions. I tell him that in summer the weather is much better.

I send a letter to Brazil. I still remember the address very well. I want to contact people in Brazil.

I want to know if my wife is still alive. I want to know if my plantation still exists. But I don’t know what to expect after so many years.

In May, I get a letter and some packets from my wife. She writes nice words to me. She writes about times when she waits for me. But 10 years after my departure, she doesn’t believe that I’m alive. She marries again and she has a new family. But her new husband is il and he dies. It’s already two years. Now, she lives without a husband.

I also get a letter from my wife’s father. He is very old but stil alive. In his letter, he writes expenses and profit from my plantation during all these years.

They both send me many nice presents. They send me some nice skins and a little box full of gold. They also send me some boxes of sugar to sell.

My wife has also a big surprise for me. She writes that I have a son. It’s great news. He is born eight months after my departure. He is now a big man and he wants to meet me.

So many things happen in a short time. I can’t believe that it’s al true. I want to cry. Then I want to laugh. All the emotions are too much for me. I’m not able to be calm. I stand up. I sit down. I stand up again. I walk around the room. I laugh. Then I cry again.

When I’m a little calm, I think about what to do.

CHAPTER 31– BRAZIL